Speaking at the Freight in the City Expo, MD Jacqueline O’Donovan (pictured) voiced concerns that the standard was coming into force faster than manufacturers could produce vehicles suited to specific sectors, such as construction.

She said: “My concern is that the mayor is trying to bring in direct vision when we are very limited to what we can bring in. We’ve got the [Mercedes-Benz] Econic with a skip loader on the back. It’s not ideal, it’s very chunky, but we’re using it because it’s the best thing we’ve got at the moment.

“I’d like to see the manufacturers have the availability to give us what we need for our type of application quicker than direct vision comes in, to save us being hit by the stick.”

O’Donovan added that she “appreciates that from design to actually producing a vehicle will take anything from five to seven years”, but added: “I think it’s paramount that manufacturers step up to the plate.”